And When They Die, They Make Great Feast
And Great Joy And Revel, And Then They Cast Them Into A Great Fire
Burning.
And those that love well their husbands, if their
husbands be dead, they cast them also in the fire with their
children, and burn them.
And they say that the fire shall cleanse
them of all filths and of all vices, and they shall go pured and
clean into another world to their husbands, and they shall lead
their children with them. And the cause why that they weep, when
their children be born is this; for when they come into this world,
they come to labour, sorrow and heaviness. And why they make joy
and gladness at their dying is because that, as they say, then they
go to Paradise where the rivers run milk and honey, where that men
see them in joy and in abundance of goods, without sorrow and
labour.
In that isle men make their king evermore by election, and they ne
choose him not for no noblesse nor for no riches, but such one as
is of good manners and of good conditions, and therewithal
rightfull, and also that he be of great age, and that he have no
children. In that isle men be full rightfull and they do rightfull
judgments in every cause both of rich and poor, small and great,
after the quantity of the trespass that is mis-done. And the king
may not doom no man to death without assent of his barons and other
men wise of counsel, and that all the court accord thereto. And if
the king himself do any homicide or any crime, as to slay a man, or
any such case, he shall die there for. But he shall not be slain
as another man; but men shall defend, in pain of death, that no man
be so hardy to make him company ne to speak with him, ne that no
man give him, ne sell him, ne serve him, neither of meat ne of
drink; and so shall he die in mischief. They spare no man that
hath trespassed, neither for love, ne for favour ne for riches, ne
for noblesse; but that he shall have after that he hath done.
Beyond that isle is another isle, where is great multitude of folk.
And they will not, for no thing, eat flesh of hares, ne of hens, ne
of geese; and yet they bring forth enough, for to see them and to
behold them only; but they eat flesh of all other beasts, and drink
milk. In that country they take their daughters and their sisters
to their wives, and their other kinswomen. And if there be ten men
or twelve men or more dwelling in an house, the wife of everych of
them shall be common to them all that dwell in that house; so that
every man may lie with whom he will of them on one night, and with
another, another night.
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